Developing the Paper Style Secret Technique

Asuma shuddered in fright, quickly turning around to grip his trench knives, which resembled brass knuckles, to block the attack in a rush.

"Clang!"

The crisp sound of the collision left Asuma's arms numb, yet he still muttered stubbornly, "Damn it! To think you'd dare ambush me!"

Another Kusa Ninja, seeing Asuma pinned down, tried to seize the opportunity for a sneak attack. He gripped a kunai and stealthily circled behind Asuma, aiming directly for his kidneys.

If that strike landed, Asuma would be left half-crippled at the very least.

"Trying to play dirty? Not on my watch!"

Aragaki Yasushi was quick-witted and acted instantly. One of his arms transformed directly into a spiked paper shield, and with a fierce dash, he slammed into the ambushing Kusa Ninja, sending him flying.

Furthermore, the moment the paper spikes on the shield touched the ninja's body, they began to grow wildly like weeds, piercing through the man's torso and branching out inside him.

In the blink of an eye, the Kusa Ninja was riddled with holes, not even given a chance to struggle.

Having dealt with the ambusher, Aragaki Yasushi turned his gaze toward the final Kusa Ninja.

That fellow was crouching in a tree, weaving hand seals with incredible speed, finishing them in a heartbeat.

The next second, several fireballs resembling ghost heads appeared out of thin air, clawing and snarling as they lunged toward Aragaki Yasushi.

"This is... Fire Style: Ghost Lantern?"

Aragaki Yasushi recognized the jutsu immediately, his heart skipping a beat.

To think it's a secret technique of the Grass Hidden Anbu? Have we run into some real trouble?

Still, the opponent was actually using Fire Style?

His body, made of paper, couldn't withstand being burned.

Even so, Aragaki Yasushi didn't panic in the slightest; he focused his intent.

Energy Scroll, go!

The next second, the Energy Scroll hovered before him, and a beam of green light shot out once more.

With a thunderous boom, that Kusa Ninja was blown to pieces, leaving not even a scrap behind.

Aragaki Yasushi let out a cold snort.

What era is this? Still using hand seals to cast jutsu?

On the other side, the remaining Kusa Ninja had actually managed to suppress Asuma with his swordsmanship.

Asuma was being forced back step by step, his face bruised and battered, cursing under his breath.

But when that Kusa Ninja saw his two companions wiped out by Aragaki Yasushi in the blink of an eye, his face turned deathly pale. No longer daring to fight, he turned to flee.

Just as he was about to dive into the woods, Yuhi Kurenai finally made her move, silently activating a genjutsu.

The Kusa Ninja's body stiffened slightly, his eyes instantly turning vacant. He stood rooted to the spot like a puppet, unable to move a muscle.

Seeing this, Asuma's eyes lit up. He seized the chance to rush forward and slit the man's throat, finally turning the tables. He even shouted stubbornly:

"Hmph, trying to run? Not so easy!"

Aragaki Yasushi mocked from the side, "Had to have Kurenai help you; you're truly pathetic."

Asuma's fur stood on end at the remark, and he prepared to snap back.

Aragaki Yasushi cut him off preemptively: "Enough nonsense, what are you standing around for?

"Hurry up and clean up the battlefield; we need to change positions."

Though Asuma was unwilling, he only muttered a few complaints before helping to clear the area.

After all, the explosions from earlier were loud enough to alert half the forest, and on the battlefield, exposing one's location was tantamount to suicide.

If other enemies were hiding nearby, the three of them might very well be ambushed tonight.

Even though they would take turns keeping watch while sleeping, it was better to be safe than sorry; moving to a more concealed spot to set up camp would allow them to sleep soundly.

The three of them efficiently cleared the traces of the battle, shouldered the wild boar, and found a more secluded clearing in the woods to set up camp and start a fire again.

By the time Yuhi Kurenai set up the pot to boil the pork and mushrooms, Aragaki Yasushi was leaning against a tree, keeping watch.

He felt a gaze lingering on him.

Turning his head, he saw Yuhi Kurenai blinking, staring straight at him with eyes full of curiosity.

Aragaki Yasushi felt a bit uncomfortable under her gaze and asked, "What is it? Is there dirt on my face?"

Yuhi Kurenai shook her head gently and asked in a low voice, "Yasushi, what was that scroll that could release the green light earlier?"

Aragaki Yasushi knew she was talking about the Energy Scroll.

But he couldn't exactly say it was a treasure from another world he'd pulled from his golden finger, could he?

Aragaki Yasushi's brain worked at high speed, and he fabricated a lie in a split second, spouting nonsense without blushing or skipping a beat: "Oh, that? It's a special ninja tool left behind by my ancestors. I heard it came from the Artisan Village, but I don't know the specifics of its origin."

Upon hearing this, Yuhi Kurenai didn't press further and nodded gently.

After all, for a ninja, information was life. Even among the closest partners, one wouldn't pry too deeply into the other's secret techniques or ninja tools; Kurenai had at least that much discretion.

Besides, the excuse Aragaki Yasushi had concocted wasn't entirely implausible.

The Artisan Village is renowned for its expertise in crafting ninja tools, serving major hidden villages year-round and possessing the genuine capability to forge specialized equipment.

Many heirloom ninja tools passed down through clans originated from the hands of masters in the Artisan Village, so no one would doubt the veracity of Aragaki Yasushi's words.

In truth, Aragaki Yasushi's family background in this life was not exactly poor.

Although his parents were deceased and he was an orphan, they had been proper ninjas during their lifetimes, and his grandfather was a bona fide Jonin; in a sense, he came from a ninja lineage.

He could not compare to the Brahmin-like clans of Konoha, but he was at least a Kshatriya of some standing, not a ninja born of pure commoner stock.

It was thanks to this background and his life-risking, arduous training from a young age that he managed to pass the Chunin Exams and secure a position as a Chunin before awakening his golden finger, back when he had no cheat-like enhancements to rely on.

After all, those commoner ninjas could not even get their hands on decent ninjutsu.

If one had average talent and failed to encounter a good mentor—with most instructors being merely ordinary Chunin—reaching the rank of Chunin was essentially the end of the road.

Before long, the night passed without a sound.

Fortunately, no blind enemies came knocking in the dead of night, allowing the three of them to get a peaceful sleep.

When it was Aragaki Yasushi's turn to keep watch, he leaned against a tree trunk, and out of boredom, he began to ponder the secret arts of Paper Style.

That's right, he was thinking of authentic, legitimate Paper Style secret arts, not the counterfeit version he had previously faked using the magical paper scraps from the Paper Thief.

After gaining the power that allowed him to transform into an origami state, Aragaki Yasushi had found some inspiration regarding Paper Style ninjutsu.

Although the power that enabled Aragaki Yasushi to enter his origami form came from the magic of the paper scraps, he reasoned that the magic could also be viewed as a special type of chakra.

He tried using his own chakra to mimic the properties of that magic, and after much aimless tinkering, he actually managed to slowly develop his own Paper Style ninjutsu.

This delighted Aragaki Yasushi to no end.

After all, who wouldn't want to possess their own exclusive secret art?

While Aragaki Yasushi's origami form was already formidable enough—capable of ambushes, escapes, and concealment—a person should never be satisfied with the status quo.

Aragaki Yasushi was busy calculating in his mind.

If he could continue to delve deeper and develop his skills, perhaps one day he could possess techniques like Konan's Paper Clone or her divine origami arts, which would provide him with far more options in combat.

More importantly, having a genuine Paper Style secret art would make it much easier to deflect the scrutiny of others.

Aragaki Yasushi couldn't help but feel a bit guilty.

After all, the magic paper scraps of the Paper Thief were ultimately not of the same nature as the ninjutsu of the Naruto world.

It would be troublesome if someone were to spot a flaw one day.

But with real Paper Style, things would be different.